Dispensing container



Jan. 2, 1945. M. l. WILLIAMSON DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed June 19, 1943 n v M EW M o h 3 6 w H M Patented Jan. 2, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING CONTAINER Marshall I. Williamson, New Haven, Conn.

Application June 19, 1943, Serial No. 491,459

2 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing containers. More particularly, the invention relates to containers which may be opened for dispensing the contents thereof, and which may thereafter be reclosed. It is primarily concerned with containers of the type specified as produced in the form of so-called folding boxes from suitably cut and scored blanks of foldable sheet material, such as paperbox board.

The invention has as its particular purpose to provide a container of the type specified which shall be especially suited for the packaging of various tablets, pills and pellets, such as aspirin, cascara, saccharine, etc., which are t be dispensed from the container one or a few at a time. However, containers embodying the novel structural features here disclosed may be found useful for the packaging of a variety of other products, such as peanuts, hard candies, cough drops, etc., of which a restricted discharge from the package is desirable or to retard spilling therefrom,

Among the objects of the invention are:

To provide a container of the type specified which may be, although which is not necessarily, of conventional rectangular and relatively thin formation. but which has a dispensing opening and a closure therefor which are considerably smaller than the normal original openings and closures of such containers.

To provide the dispensing opening of such a container with a practical and easily reclosable closure which must be opened first to effect access to the contents of the container.

To provide a container having the characteristics desired, which may be easily and quickly setup, filled and closed from a flat blank of foldable sheet material.

I outstanding feature resides in providing a relatively small dispensing opening in one of the ori inal closures of the container, and in providing an auxiliary tuck-type reclosure for such dispensing opening which, when closed, locks the larger original closure and thus impels the use of the dispensing opening by requiring that its reclosure must be opened before the larger original closure can be opened.

It is preferred that the container be of conventional folding paper box formation having an original top closure resembling the usual tucktype common to such boxes.

The dispensing opening is preferably provided by cutting away a portionof the original top closure panel. The auxiliary tuck closure of the dispensing opening is hinged from that wall panel of the container against which the tuck of the original closure lies, and the tuck of the auxiliary closure is arranged to tuck in at the base or hinge line of the original closure on the opposite wall panel of the container. i s.

To facilitate complete discharge of contents from the container through the dispensing opening, it is desirable and preferred that the dispensing opening be located at one side of the original closure panel. Obviously, however, the dispensing opening may be located at any point intermediate the two sides of the original closure panel and that the auxiliary closure may then a so be suitably located.

When the dispensing opening is located at one side of the original closure panel, it is preferred that the usual original closure-supporting flap at that side of the container be eliminated to obviate its possible interference with free discharge of the contents. The top panel of the auxiliary tuck closure is provided with projecting shoulders which seat against adjoining structure when the auxiliary closure is in closed position and serve as stops to limit entry of such auxiliary closure within the dispensing opening.

. That panelof the box body from which the original tuck closure hinges is preferably indentured to provide ready access of a finger t the tuck of the auxiliary closure for facilitating opening of such auxiliary closure.

When the auxiliary closure of the container is closed with its tuck inserted as described and its projecting shoulders overlying the side edges of the dispensing opening, it will be apparent that the original closure at that end of the container is effectively locked in closed position and that it may not be opened until after the auxiliary closure has been opened, whereupon a restricted discharge flow of the contents is aiforded and excessive discharge or spilling of the contents is prevented.

Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a front perspective view of a container embodying the novel structural features of the invention, the auxiliary closure being shown in closed position covering the dispensing opening or ia rture;

Fig. 2, a similar view, but showing the auxiliary closure in open position revealing the dispensing aperture;

Fig. 3, a top plan view of the container of Figs. 1 and 2showing the auxiliary closure. in closed position;

Fig. 4, a similar view but showing the auxiliary closure in open position; 1

Fig. 5, an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line -5, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6, a plan view of the flat blank cut and scored for forming the container of the prior figures.

The illustrated container is a folding box of rectangular and relatively thin formation. It corresponds in size and general form to those containers which are commonly used for-packaging aspirin tablets, medicinal pills, etc. in broad single layers. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it has a box body ill, a bottom closure II, and a top closure I2. Formed in the top closure I 2 is a dispensing aperture I3 of relatively small size, and adjacent thereto is an auxiliary closure l4 of substantially corresponding size. After the container has been filled with contents, it is contemplated that only the auxiliary closure I4 shall be opened by the consumer for the dispensing of f the tablets or pills one or a few at a time.

The box or container of Figs. 1 through 5 is preferably formed from the cut and scored blank of Fig. 6; which is prepared pursuant to conventional practice in the folding box art.

The blank of Fig. 6 comprises two broad panels, designated I5 and I6, which form, respectively,

; the front and rear-wall panels of the resulting box. It comprises, further, two narrow panels I1 and I8, respectively, which form the side wall panels ofthe resulting box. A glue-lap I9 is provided for adhesion, substantially coextensively, to the side wall panel II, thus forming the boxbody ID.

A closure panel 20, tuck panel 2|, and oppositely disposed closure-supporting flaps 22 are provided at the lowerv end of the blank. They cooperate to form the bottom closure II, which is preferably; though not necessarily, of conventional tuck type.

A closure panel 23, tuck panel 24, and closuresupporting flap 25 are provided at the upper end of the blank. They cooperate to form the top closure I 2, which, with respect to the auxiliary closure I4, is regarded as the original or main closure. It can be seen that this top main closure I2 is, in principle, a conventional tuck type closure. It differs, however, in that a side portion of the closure panel 23 is cut away, and the usual closure-supporting flap corresponding to but oppositely disposed of the closure-supporting flap 25 is entirely eliminated for that side. When the box is actually formed from the blank and the 'top or main closure I2 is closed with its tuck panel tucked against the inside face of rear wall panel I6, the cut-away part thereof provides the relatively small dispensing aperture I3, which, it should be noted, is flush with the wall panels I5, I6, and I1 lying adjacent the cut-away part. Because the aperture I3 is flush with such wall panels, contents of the container can be easily slid through the aperture during the dispensing operation.

A closure panel 26 and tuck panel 21 are provided at the upper end of the blank in spaced relationship to the several component parts of the top or main closure I2, and cooperate to provide the auxiliary tuck closure I4. It is advantageous that the auxiliary closure panel 26 be cut so as to form the laterally and oppositely extendingshoulders 28. Such shoulders replace the closurefor a tuck-type closure, and, when the auxiliary closure I4 is in closed position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, seat against the top surface of the main closure panel 23 and the upper edge of side wall panel ll, respectively, serving to limitor prevent the entry of the auxiliary closure panel 26 within the dispensing aperture I3.

For facilitating the opening of auxiliary tuck closure l4, the upper edge of front wall panel I5, which partially defines dispensing aperture I3, is indentured to provide the marginal indentation 29. Thus, a finger of the user of the box can engage tuck panel 21 of the auxiliary tuck closure when he desires to open such auxiliary closure and dispense contents from the box.

It should be noted that preferably no corresponding indentation is provided for the top or main tuck closure I2, because it is not contemplated that such closure be opened by the user of the box.

It should also be noted that both the top main closure I2 and the bottom closure II are so arranged that they fold away from the front panel I5 of the box and tuck in at the rear thereof, so that, in holding the box front or right side up, only the auxiliary closure of the dispensing opening is presented in readily available opening position.

The above-described embodiment of the invention is ideally adapted for manufacture by existing types of automatic machinery well known in the folding box art. It requires no gluing other than for the lateral glue flap I 9, and, when the auxiliary tuck closure I4 is in closed position, the top or main closure I2 is locked thereby against opening. If desired, of course, the bottom closure II, may be a conventional glued closure or any other desired type of closure.

It is not necessary that the top or main closure I2 be a tuck closure, although such type of closure presents advantages from the standpoint of the invention. Such top or main closure might be the conventional glued type with the overlapping glue panels thereof falling short of the entire width of the box body, thereby provid- ""ing the relatively small dispensing at one side of such closure and at one lateral side of the box.

To facilitate complete discharge of contents from the container through the dispensing opening, it is desirable and preferred that the dispensing opening be located at one side of the original closure panel. Obviously, however, the dispensing opening may be located at any point intermediate the two sides of the original closure panel and that the auxiliary closure may then also be suitably located.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect to only one preferred embodiment thereof, it should be understood that .yarious changes may be made in said embodiment and various other embodiments may be developed by those skilled in the art without de- -parting from the spirit and generic purview of supportinf flaps which are ordinarily provided the invention as set forth herein and. in the claims that here follow.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a body part; tuck end-closure means hinged to a wall panel of said body part, said tuck end-closure means including a main closure panel, a tuck panel, and a single closure-supporting flap; the side of said main closure panel opposite said single closuresupporting flap being cut-away to provide a relatively small dispensing aperture at one corner location of said box body; and auxiliary closure means forsaid dispensing aperture comprising a panel hinged to a wall panel of said box body opposite said wall panel, said auxiliary closure panel having an extension uniplanar therewith, said auxiliary panel when said auxiliary closure means is in closing position serving to close said dispensing aperture and its extension seating against said main closure panel, said auxiliary closure means .further comprising a tuck flap hinged to its said auxiliary closure panel.

2. A container comprising a body part; tuck end-closure means hinged to a wall panel of said body part, said tuck end-closure means including a main closure panel, a tuck panel, and a single closure-supporting-fiap; the side of said main closurerpanel opposite said ,singleclosure-supporting flap being cut-away to provide a relatively small dispensing aperture at one corner location of said box body; and auxiliary closure means for said dispensing aperture comprising a panel hinged to a wall panel of said box body opposite said wall panel, said auxiliary closure 

